Package, article, palletized load, or appliance edge or corner protectors, corner post supports, and the like, are of course well-known in the packaging and shipping industries, and are accordingly widely used in connection with the shipping and transportation of various packages, articles, products, palletized loads, appliances, and the like, in order to protect the same during transit, wherein it is particularly desirable to protect the external corner or edge portions or regions thereof. Typical or conventional edge or corner protectors, or corner post supports, are disclosed, for example, within U.S. Pat. No. 6,527,119 which issued to Markert et al. on Mar. 4, 2003, U.S. Pat. No. 5,918,800 which issued to Goshorn et al. on Jul. 6, 1999, U.S. Pat. No. 5,307,928 which issued to Bishop on May 3, 1994, U.S. Pat. No. 5,181,611 which issued to Liebel on Jan. 26, 1993, U.S. Pat. No. 5,175,041 which issued to Webb et al. on Dec. 29, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,161,692 which issued to Knierim on Nov. 10, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,131,541 which issued to Liebel on Jul. 21, 1992, U.S. Pat. No. 5,048,689 which issued to McFarland on Sep. 17, 1991, U.S. Pat. No. 4,771,893 which issued to Liebel on Sep. 20, 1988, U.S. Pat. No. 4,399,915 which issued to Sorenson on Aug. 23, 1983, U.S. Pat. No. 3,955,677 which issued to Collingwood on May 11, 1976, and U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,245 which issued to Palmer on Oct. 27, 1970.
It is noted that all of the aforenoted patented implements are basically similar to each other, and representative of conventional corner or edge protectors, in that the same comprise at least two leg structures disposed at 90° with respect to each other so as to effectively define an interior region within which the external corner or edge region or portion of the particular article, product, package, appliance, or palletized load, to be protected, is adapted to be disposed. It is noted, however, that while each one of the aforenoted corner or edge protectors does in fact protect the external corner or edge region of the particular article, product, package, appliance, or palletized load, and may even space the external side surface portions of the article, product, package, palletized load, or appliance from the interior side surface portions of the carton or shipping container within which the particular article, product, package, appliance, or palletized load is disposed, as exemplified by means of the aforenoted patent to Palmer, it is additionally noted that the external corner or apex region of the particular article, product, package, appliance, or palletized load is in fact disposed in direct contact with the interior corner or apex region of the corner or edge protector along, for example, the vertically oriented lineal extent thereof. Accordingly, if, for example, external impact forces are impressed upon the external corner or edge portion of the carton or shipping container, such impact forces will be transmitted directly to the external corner or edge portion of the particular article, product, package, appliance, or palletized load whereby damage to the external corner or edge portion of the particular article, product, package, appliance, or palletized load could be experienced.
A need therefore exists in the art for a new and improved corner or edge protector wherein not only are the external corner or edge regions of an article, product, appliance, package, or palletized load protected, but in addition, the external side surfaces, and the external corner or edge regions, of the article, product, package, appliance, or palletized load are respectively spaced from the internal side surfaces, and the internal corner region, of the carton or shipping container such that not only can the effects of externally impressed impact forces to the carton or shipping container be substantially prevented from being transmitted to the article, product, package, appliance, or palletized load, but in addition, the structural integrity and compression strength characteristics of the corner or edge protector can simultaneously be preserved.